Reference Books in the Library

From the Trojan War to World War II and beyond, The Oxford Companion to Military History brings together an international team of more than 150 experts who illuminate war's bloody past. The contributors also discuss weapons and equipment; wars, campaigns, and battles; strategy and tactics; espionage and propaganda; logistics and fortifications; and military life, literature, and medicine. The Oxford Companion to Military History is the most wide-ranging and authoritative reference on all aspects of military history currently available.

The Face of Battle is military history from the battlefield: a look at the direct experience of individuals at the "point of maximum danger." Without the myth-making elements of rhetoric and xenophobia, and breaking away from the stylized format of battle descriptions.

The author argues that the successes and failures of D-Day, on both sides, cannot be explained by comparing the competing strategies of each side. Instead he provides an account of the battle through the overarching nature of the relationship between the leaders and their followers.